Cirque de L'enfer
by the aspiring cynic
Summary: She needs to stop drinking vodka while watching TV. Deicide one-shot. Dedicated to WhiteLadyDragon.


We'll be young forever 'til forever stops.

- "Young Forever" by the Ready Set

Disclaimer: Signs irrevocably point to 'hell no'.

Summary: She needs to stop drinking vodka while watching TV. Deicide one-shot. Dedicated to **WhiteLadyDragon**.

**Warning: **Please tell me if any of the French is wrong and forgive me for butchering it. I have absolutely no knowledge of the language whatsoever. Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Cirque de L'enfer<strong>

Wynter had many weaknesses. The woman would do practically anything for alcohol and/or expensive desserts. But there was one lesser known weakness that Ryuuzaki had stumbled upon by mere chance and would exploit to his benefit.

"Ryuuzaki!" Her American accent butchered the Japanese syllables with quick precision and little remorse.

"Yes, Ms. Wynter?" She was smiling more than usual; his successors in addition to himself were starting to become a bit anxious. Her volatile actions increased by ten percent when happy; she was also five percent more likely to act without thinking.

"Can I go to the circus?" Her voice sounded a bit dreamy; she was undeniably tipsy.

"What are you, five?" Mello burst into a choking fit of snickers.

"I'm not asking you, dipshit." Wynter gave him a cold, pointed look before returning her attention to Ryuuzaki.

"What did you say . . ."

"Ms. Wynter, I must deny your request." Ryuuzaki effectively cut Mello short.

"But why?" Ms. Wynter had the amusing ability of sounding like a petty child while inebriated. Normally, he'd simply chide her behavior and dismiss her without so much of a second thought. He wondered if she would go as far as to throw a tantrum if provoked.

"I doubt you would be able to enjoy the experience while your reasoning is otherwise compromised."

Her eyes were large and guppy-like while she whimpered, "Tomorrow?"

He couldn't help the slight quirk of his lip. If she was absent from the headquarters, it would allow them a day of rest from the daily antics.

"Alright, but I must accompany you."

"Okay!" She squealed in excitement.

"Ryuuzaki, are you out of your fucking mind?" Mello asked when she left the room.

"I was already planning for Ms. Wynter's absence during the next phase of our plan. Her suggestion was simply an added bonus." He replied before lightly biting his thumb.

The next step was crucial to this case. And with both his and Ms. Wynter's safety accounted for, he had faith that his successors would execute the next phase perfectly.

* * *

><p>She woke up the next morning disgruntled and vaguely anxious. There was a sinking feeling in her gut that perhaps she had maxed her limit and, as a result, done something extremely foolish.<p>

"Ms. Wynter, are you ready for departure?" Ryuuzaki's voice sounded like drills being inserted into her eardrums. Damn hangovers.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She scowled when she looked up from her mug of black tar that used to be coffee.

"Yesterday, we reached the agreement that I would accompany you to your excursion to the circus today." His voice droned.

"When the hell did I agree to that?" _Has he finally gone batshit?_

"Right after screaming for a pony." Mello snorted and Matt let out something that resembled a snicker.

Wynter's eyes widened in horror. _Waking up today was a huge mistake._

"Is that true?" Her voice had a slight stutter as she frantically clutched to reality.

Near nodded.

Why couldn't she just pass out like a normal drunk?

Why the hell did she pretend to be a five-year-old?

"Uh, well, I'm sure the tickets are already sold out and . . ." Wynter quickly blurted out.

"I have already obtained the tickets." Ryuuzaki replied.

_Damn!_

"I think I've caught a bug of some sort . . ." She complained.

"Nonsense, you are simply experiencing the after-effects of a hangover." Ryuuzaki quickly shot her down.

"But . . ." She weakly protested.

"C'mon now, little girl, surely you don't want to miss the clowns?" Mello sneered.

"Er, I have a severe cause of caulrophobia."

"Then this is your best chance of overcoming your crippling fear." Ryuuzaki argued.

That would illustrate how she found herself in the car along with Ryuuzaki, driving towards the fairgrounds. Learning from her past mistakes, she endured the rehabilitating silence and resisted the urge to turn on the radio. She had already faced enough humiliation as it was; she was not going to take anymore risks.

The sunny ambiance was a stark contrast to how Wynter felt. Not only was she hungover, defeated and bitter but she was trying to stifle her excitement. Despite reaching the age of twenty-two, her adoration of the circus had thrived throughout the years. She had went to her first circus at the age of seven. She loved everything. The excitement, the mystery, the fatty smell of grease and oil in the background. The circus was a place for magic and somewhere she had always felt comfortable.

It had always been a secret of hers. She knew full well of the teasing she'd receive should her childish secret ever reach the ears of her peers. No doubt Mello would mercilessly use this to his advantage during their next quarrel. At least Ryuuzaki wouldn't do that, right? The man was made of alabaster; he couldn't possibly be able to tease someone, could he? She might as well enjoy herself as much as possible before returning back to the base. Ryuuzaki had kept her indoors for a maddening length of time. She could salvage this farce and maybe retain what was left of her sanity.

It could even be fun.

She quickly glanced at Ryuuzaki.

Too bad she was accompanied by the world's biggest party pooper.

* * *

><p>Ms. Wynter's strange behavior merely increased when they arrived. Ryuuzaki stood close so he wouldn't lose her in the crowds. The area was filled with whining children and the elderly. He couldn't really fathom why Ms. Wynter had pleaded to come. They could have the same ambiance at the shopping mall or even the movie theater. This circus was undeniably cramped, shady and smelly. But when he passed by the dining area, he supposed he could empathize.<p>

There were so many delicious confections that Ryuuzaki felt his lips twitch into an awkward smile. Funnel cakes, snow cones, ice cream, cotton candy . . .

Ms. Wynter allowed him to buy a snow cone in an outrageous container in the shape of a pink elephant. He was about to get into line for some more circus delicacies when Ms. Wynter effectively blocked his path.

"C'mon, Ryuuzaki! Let's go get our seats." She tugged on his sleeve and led him towards the largest tent.

She had a strange habit of clutching his arm whenever a perform did anything remotely dangerous. The acrobatics were quite well choreographed and he admired the acrobats courageousness. He felt himself craving sweets as he watched the fire-breather place the paraffin in his mouth. He bit his thumb as a weak substitute as he eyed Ms. Wynter's cotton candy. She rolled her eyes when she caught his stare and begrudgingly gifted him with the last of her cotton candy.

He found himself watching Ms. Wynter's reactions rather than the performance. Ryuuzaki had never seen her so relaxed and content. If she was not pointedly ignoring him, arguing with Mello or nagging, she was rather quiet and reserved. She laughed heartily during the clown performance.

After the act was over, he pulled Ms. Wynter towards the food vendors. She willingly accompanied him in line and even offered to help him carry all of his sugary treasures.

"How can you eat that?" She was referring to his large platter of funnel cakes with twice the whipped cream and powder sugar as well as his extra-large serving of ice cream.

He simply continued to shovel the food into his mouth.

"You are going to become morbidly obese and I will laugh." Ms. Wynter declared.

For a brief second, he was reminded of Misa Amane the ditzy airhead. He quickly shoved that memory aside.

"Ryuuzaki, let's go there!" She was pointing to the psychic booth that was shrouded in beads and veils. Ryuuzaki, despite being a product of the otherworldly himself, did not believe in the supernatural particularly. He was seventy-eight percent convinced that this Madame Fournier was merely a flake.

"Welcome, my children." Madame Fournier saluted in her heavy accent. She gestured for the two of them to sit across of her desk.

"Ah, a young couple, how romantic." She gushed as she clutched her heart rather dramatically. Ryuuzaki watched in amusement as Ms. Wynter's face hardened in response.

"Look, here, lady. He and I are not . . ."

"Not yet, you mean. Ma chérie, I have a gift for these things! I see bright things in both of your futures. However, there are always bumps in the road, eh?"

Ms. Wynter opened her mouth in protest but Madame Fournier merely shook her head.

"Now, let me see your hand, mademoiselle."

Reluctantly, Ms. Wynter gave the woman her hand and Madame Fournier began to make tutting noises with her tongue.

"Ma chérie! The signs are extraordinarily lucky for you. I predict happiness and reconciliation in your future. But you will soon have to overcome distressing obstacles and must rely on your inner strength. A romance has the potential to flower but only if you act quickly (Ms. Wynter scowled) but there is an overwhelming sense of sadness. You must learn to make the best of things and find your niche in the world."

Ms. Wynter was silent as she mulled over Madame Fournier's prediction.

"Young man, your hand, if you would." Madame Fournier commanded and Ryuuzaki skeptically stretched out his hand.

Madame Fournier was extremely silent as she perused his hand. She hesitated briefly before speaking.

"Mon chér, so sad. You are an extraordinary force of nature and your work is very important to the rest of the world. But despite this, you are still restless. Your selfless nature will become threatened and you must make a choice that will have severe consequences. I predict that your future endeavors will succeed and you will find the one you are looking for. But you must remember that sometimes revenge is double-sided. You must learn to evolve and change to confront your enemies."

There was a sixty-three percent chance that this woman was making up things as she went.

A thirty-seven percent chance that this was rehearsed and that she simply improvised to fit the situation.

Her words were remarkably vague and could be adhere to virtually any situation. She was undoubtedly fake. He briefly wondered why Ms. Wynter had desired to enter the booth in the first place. Was she simply curious or had she merely done this as another joke?

As they were exiting Madame Fournier's booth she called out, "Mademoiselle, please remember that the Lord works in strange ways! Do not give up hope!"

"She's a crackpot." Ms. Wynter scowled but he noticed the faint uncertainty in her words. Ryuuzaki merely nodded in agreement.

"Ryuuzaki," Ms. Wynter softly murmured while walking towards the parking lot, "promise me that you'll never change, no matter what that quack said."

His curiosity was piqued since her face betrayed no emotion at all. She was completely earnest and sincere in her request. He felt a bit confused and thoughtful. He wasn't exactly sure what she was implying, especially since he was now eighty-one percent sure that the psychic was merely spouting gibberish.

So, he merely nodded.

Ms. Wynter visibly relaxed and smiled.

There was a seventy-nine percent chance that he'll never truly understand.

But that was alright.

Ms. Wynter was a complex puzzle that was never meant to be fully solved.

* * *

><p>Wynter couldn't help herself when they passed by her favorite, the notorious Milk Bottle game. It didn't matter that she had the aim of a crippled sniper, both deadly and inaccurate or that it was probably rigged. But its call was irresistible, she drifted towards the booth wide-eyed and determined to win.<p>

The man working the booth was rather condescending and had a shocking resemblance to Near. Though Wynter was fairly sure that his hair was purposely dyed while Near's was probably a natural anomaly.

"Hey there, little lady, want to try your luck and win a prize?" He smiled from the corner of his mouth.

"Hell yeah." Wynter nodded as she quickly gave the man her cash.

"Ms. Wynter, there is a . . ." Ryuuzaki began.

"Shut up, Ryuuzaki, this is my game." She spat with determination.

_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

"Again!" Wynter spat, there was no way she was backing down now.

"Ms. Wynter, may I suggest . . ."

_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

"Best three out of four!"

_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

"Ms. Wynter . . ."

"Fine! If you're so confident then let's see you do it, Ryuuzaki." Wynter snarled in exasperation and defeat.

He sighed, "Alright."

_**Bam!**_

Wynter gaped in confusion. How was a shrimp like him able to . . .

"Here's your prize, buddy." The man gruffly shoved the ridiculously large stuffed animal into Ryuuzaki's hands.

"How did you . . ."

"Simple physics, I merely calculated the appropriate trajectory and . . ." He replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, yeah." She said dismissively as she stomped away.

The ride back to headquarters wasn't as strained, though Wynter had to nurse her wounded pride. Besides, she had received her revenge anyways when Mr. Creeper wasn't looking. Wynter smiled gleefully.

She was surprised when Mr. Creeper unceremoniously dumped the animal into her arms. She gave him quizzical look to which he merely stared.

How ironic, that the man gave him a panda bear of all animals.

She couldn't help but beam at him.

He really was such a sap after all.

"Thanks, Ryuuzaki."

* * *

><p>The look on Ms. Wynter's face stunned him and Ryuuzaki couldn't help but feel the slightest bit guilty when he remembered the true reason why they had went to the circus.<p>

"I trust the plan went well?" Ryuuzaki asked as he sat on his swivel chair while placing sugar cubes into his tea.

"Well, duh. We're not as incompetent as you think we are." Mello rolled his eyes while unwrapping his chocolate bar.

"At least, not all of us are." Near chimed.

"Fuck you, Near."

"I was simply stating a fact."

"So was I!"

"Mel . . ."

"Matt, don't tell me you're taking the little shit's side!"

Ryuuzaki simply tuned them out as his thoughts briefly drifted to the giant panda he had received as a prize.

"Ryuuzaki, why do you have cotton candy in your hair?" A confused Mello asked.

Ryuuzaki, undoubtedly, hated the circus.


End file.
